Saturday night saw another chaotic edition of NWSL After Dark with a 0-0 draw between Angel City FC and the Houston Dash.
The scoreless result was largely due to a series of great saves by Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell, including a huge one on a corner kick in the final minute of overtime. But despite Campbell’s heroics, the scoreless goal was controversial, and Angel City players were certain the goal had crossed the line.
In the NWSL, the entire ball must pass the goal line to be considered “in,” which is why the refereeing team ruled it a non-goal, even after an extensive VAR review.
But other angles of the ball appear to show it passing between Campbell’s legs and clearly crossing the line.
#HOUvLA Looking at the camera behind the goal, there are two moments where it looks like the ball might have completely gone over the line…
But alas, from behind my keyboard it’s pretty easy to watch the replay 20 times and find specific moments. pic.twitter.com/5ApAE60h5H
– Taylor Vicente (@tayvincent6) June 16, 2024
After the game, coach Becki Tweed remained silent on the issue. Complaining about officiating in the NWSL usually results in a hefty fine from the league; San Diego Wave coach Casey Stoney, for example, was fined several times last season for criticizing the refereeing.
“I’m going to say I won’t comment because I think I’ll get in trouble,” Tweed said, according to Kamran Nia of Sporting Tribune. “I have my feelings and my thoughts and I’m sure you can see them from the sideline, and I’ll just keep them to myself.”
#AngelCityFC Coach Becki Tweed:
“I’m going to say I won’t comment because I think I’ll get in trouble. I have my feelings and my thoughts and I’m sure you could see them on the sidelines, and I’m just going to keep them a secret from myself.” https://t.co/7bVfvlkwvO
– Kamran Nia (@kamran_nia) June 16, 2024
Defenders MA Vignola and Jasmyne Spencer were a little more candid than their coach, although they stopped short of explicitly disagreeing with the referees.
“That was one that we all thought was a goal as a team,” Vignola said. “Overall, as a collective, we thought we were going to get the three points we needed, but it turned out that that wasn’t the case.”
Spencer noted that the league does not currently have goal-line technology, a tool used in most European leagues and all international competitions.
“I think it’s a good example of why we need continued investment in the league, so we can expect things like goal-line technology to make better decisions in those cases,” Spencer said.
With the tie, Angel City is in 11th place in the NWSL with 12 points, while Houston is in 10th place with 13.
PRO, the referees’ association, typically watches the week’s video reviews for both the NWSL and MLS, meaning a verdict on the no-goal is likely to be issued in the coming days.
